Parental Styles as a Predictor of Aggressive behaviour of Teenagers in Marginalised Communities

Abstract

The parenting style that balances clear expectations with warmth and support is likely the most effective in reducing teenage  aggression.. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how parental style predicts aggressive behaviour among teenagers,  focusing on the significant differences in age and gender of teenagers' aggressive behaviours. Three research questions and hypotheses  were formulated in the study and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The descriptive survey research method was employed in  carrying out the study, where the researchers selected 120 teenagers as the study's sample using stratified sampling techniques in the  Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State, The data were collected using quantitative methods via a questionnaire as the research  instrument. The research study made use of two adapted inventories/scales as the research instruments for the study, which included  the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) shorter version and the Aggression Questionnaire shorter version with 0.71 and 0.74  reliability coefficients, respectively. Correlation analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Independent t-test were used to test all  hypotheses one, two, and three, respectively, in the study at the 0.05 level of significance, The findings showed that parental style does  not have a significant positive correlation with aggressive behaviour exhibited by teenagers. Also, there is no difference between male- aggressive and female-aggressive behaviour among teenagers based on the age difference of respondents. In conclusion, while the findings of this research provided important insights into the complex factors that contribute to aggressive behaviours in teenagers,  there is still much to learn about this issue.